March 28, 2011

Bright Spot

After three hours spent last night at urgent care with Hamilton, the doctor determined he most likely has the same bacterial infection (misnamed H-flu) that I was finally diagnosed with on Friday last week. Now we're both on the same antibiotics. He had a fever of 102.6 last night which prompted our visit to urgent care, and he had a rough night of sleeping. Most of today he acted like he felt bad, whining, crying, and needing lots of extra attention.

Mr. Morgan came home for lunch, which Hamilton always enjoys, and Hamilton perked up a bit. While eating in his highchair, Hamilton lined up his squares of cheese with no prompting from me. I really didn't notice until he started clapping for himself.
He then clapped for himself multiple times like he'd really accomplished something, so I had to snap a picture of his happy face.
He did seem to feel better tonight around dinner time, so I'm hoping we'll both have a smoother, less-interrupted night of sleeping. Claire went to bed early tonight because she wasn't feeling well, but her symptoms are not the same as ours. I'm hoping with some good sleep she'll feel bright and chipper in the morning.

March 25, 2011

Hamilton's Trike-A-Thon

On your mark...
get set...
go!
And he's off!
Hamilton led the pack of toddlers through the parking lot. He impressed everyone with his scootin' and zoomin' skills, but he's had many months of practice. The wide-open space of the parking lot made Hamilton eager to zoom at top speed. Then the parking lot became chaotic and crowded with tricycles.
Here's a video of what most of the event was like; Hamilton even pauses for his favorite teacher to snap a few pictures.
Hamilton admired many of the other rides during the trike-a-thon--even this grandma's wheelchair.
The mayhem caused a few accidents, but no tears resulted.
After taking over 200 shots in just 15 minutes, I finally got some pictures of Hamilton's face while he was riding his scoot 'n' zoom. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with him because he's gotten so fast and can turn on a dime!
Because of your generous support, Hamilton reached his goal for the trike-a-thon by raising $105! He was the fourth-highest fundraiser in the whole school! Thank you for your donations and your support of our little scoot 'n' zoomer!

Claire's Science Fair

Several weeks ago Claire participated in her school's science fair, and unintentionally I neglected to post the pictures of her finished project. She and Mr. Morgan worked hard nearly every night that Claire was here at our house in the weeks before. Claire had to do an experiment, and she decided to answer the question, "Does the type of light source have an effect on the amount of damage done to an exposed surface?"
She set up several light sources--a halogen bulb, a flourescent bulb, and the sun--to shine on pieces of black craft paper for the same amount of time. Then she was able to see the differences in the paper's fading. She earned a 96 from her science teacher on the project, though she was disappointed that she didn't win a ribbon.
 

March 23, 2011

Sunday at the Park

Since Hamilton spent the weekend at the farm, Mr. Morgan and I met Mom and Dad in Columbia on Sunday afternoon to collect him. We enjoyed lunch with Travis and his girlfriend Jess at a delicious deli downtown. Then we spent a little time at a park, so Hamilton could run around and play before getting back in the car to head home.
Hamilton was thrilled about this little car at first, as he excitedly kept saying, "Cah, cah," as we put him on it. Once he realized it didn't go anywhere but only bounced a bit, he quickly tired of it.
He enjoyed this swinging bridge the most, running back and forth on it for a long time.
Though he didn't seem too keen on swinging at first, Mimi made the swings look like such fun. Hamilton eventually gave in.
Hamilton was a bit tentative in the swing, despite Mr. Morgan's reassuring presence and help.
Jess and Travis cozied up on a park bench.

My Surprise

Well, Saturday was the day I felt the best which was fortunate since Mr. Morgan and I had an evening out planned. Since it's taken me so long to post details, I've had several friends and blog readers eagerly ask me what the surprise was.

Phase one was dinner out in Mt. Pleasant at a delicious, fancy restaurant. Phase two was a play at The Village Playhouse. Mr. Morgan knows I love the theater, and our actor-friend Lindsey was performing in this political drama. I loved the play, and the political story with its plotting twists are right up my alley. This play has garnered lots of attention, since The Village Playhouse showed its South-Carolina debut and George Clooney is directing the movie set to open this fall. It was a great night out with my sweet husband who planned and executed the whole night!

Sadly, I went back to feeling bad on Sunday with tons of coughing thrown in. After sleeping poorly that night, Monday morning I went to see a doctor who thinks I have viral bronchitis. He's waiting for lab results to be sure, so I'm just treating a few symptoms this week but still feeling bad. Of course, it's not the worst, and I'm still able to function; however, I've had lots of extra things this week, so blogging time has gotten pushed now for several days.

March 19, 2011

Spring Cleaning

I did feel better as the day wore on, so I did some spring cleaning in the kitchen this morning. Since we have no separate pantry, I've designated the upper cabinets that surround the microwave for food. Here's a side-by-side view of the before and after pictures of each cabinet.
I threw out expired food, lowered the shelves to make them more accessible, and moved the food we use most often to lower shelves. I also cleaned out the refrigerator with the same techniques, wiping out the drawers and shelves and tossing expired food. The kitchen now feels much more organized.

A Saturday List

1. It's been four days since my last post which was not my intention to go so long between; however, after a super busy (and productive) week, on Thursday I got hit with the worst common cold--the aches, fever, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, etc. I felt a bit like I'd been run over by a truck, and I didn't sleep well that night either. Probably one of the worst night's of sleep I've ever experienced. So I did pretty much nothing on Friday as I recovered. I finally took some DayQuil yesterday evening which made a huge improvement in my symptoms. This Saturday morning I feel much better, and I'm hoping to tackle some spring-cleaning projects.

2. Mom came to visit on Thursday, which was great timing since I didn't feel well. She took Hamilton back to the farm with her on Friday, so Mr. Morgan and I slept in until 8:15 this morning.

3. I have the most wonderful friends and church family. Yesterday I "called in sick" for leading our Friday morning women's Bible study, and thankfully our other leaders easily stepped in to cover in my absence. That afternoon I received two phone calls from dear friends wondering how I was feeling and offering to bring food for supper.

4. Mr. Morgan has a surprise event planned for me tonight. He slyly sent me a calendar-event invitation two weeks ago instructing me not to plan anything for tonight. Now that Hamilton is at the farm for the weekend, the surprise event has morphed into phase one and phase two; with no babysitter to pay, there's more money for the surprise. I'm SO excited to see what he's planned!

March 15, 2011

PJs at the Piano

Hamilton loves to do anything his big sister is doing. Claire's so patient with Hamilton at the piano, as he bangs on the keys while she plays.
Claire's playing an actual song, and I think Hamilton thinks he's contributing to the music. The look on his face is pure joy; I just wish I'd been at a better angle to capture it.

March 13, 2011

Baby Shower

Saturday morning several women from church hosted a baby shower for moms with multiple kids. I was one of the honorees, though I was the only pregnant one. The other two moms have had their second and fourth children in the last six months. Gathering with other women and moms to pray for our children and shower blessings on our families is a special tradition at our church. I've been attending these showers of blessings since I was a lonely college graduate trying to find a job; they've all been so encouraging to me even when I didn't have any kids.

My dear friend Christy hosted the special shower at her house, and she has such a fun eye for decorating and entertaining. The women in attendance wrote each of the moms a note of encouragement, and some of the veteran moms included sage advice.
I appreciate the experiences and encouragement that the other moms lovingly share, especially their go-to passages of Scripture.
The brunch is always delicious with many women contributing. Christy made these incredible cupcakes, and I was able to take a few extras home under the guise of sharing with my family. Alas, I did share them, but I also took enough for me to enjoy.
Many friends came to celebrate with us, and we sipped coffee for much of the morning and into the afternoon.

March 12, 2011

Hamilton's Haircut

I finally got tired of Hamilton's long locks hanging over his ears and collar. It's such a chore to cut his hair by myself because he's a wiggly one-year-old. I still have some missed spots that need trimming, but overall it's a vast improvement.

March 11, 2011

Consignment-Sale Finds

Wednesday evening I went to a huge consignment sale, and I found some cute things for Hamilton. Some things I purchased are too ordinary to warrant a picture, but I included the cutest things. The red sign is for his cowboy room, though for now he does still enjoy baths. The jon-jon suit was too adorable to pass up for my little boy obsessed with trucks. And the sweet, plaid shoes showing little wear were a great price.
I went with a friend to the sale, and we saw many more friends once we got there. With the fast-paced tunes blaring on the speakers and one friend dancing like she was in a club, the sale felt a bit like a party.

March 10, 2011

Happy Birthday

Today is my beloved brother's birthday, and I can't believe my little brother is 29! We visited with him on Saturday as we helped him move out of his cute house that he's been in for the last six years. He's moving into a trendy apartment complex in downtown Columbia, and he'll be able to walk to work, which I think sounds so cool.
Mr. Morgan, Hamilton, and I got on the road early Saturday morning, so we could help him pack and transport his stuff to a storage unit. Moving and watching Hamilton separately can be tiring tasks, but after a day of doing both we were completely exhausted! Here Mimi is corralling Hamilton back into Travis's yard after he attempted an escape after helping dump trash in the can.
Dad and Travis are removing the coat rack off the wall. Because Dad always wears a hat that looks similar in style to this one, Hamilton says, "Pah," everytime he sees the picture of John Wayne that we use as decoration in his cowboy room. I think Dad likes that comparison.
I was a little sad to think of Travis's moving out of his little house that he's improved so much. He had so many cool elements to his house, like this world map that he wallpapered to the wall in his living room. 
His red-and-black-accented kitchen was fun; I hope the new owner appreciates his taste for design. 
It took all day to pack and make several trips to the storage unit and thrift store.
His birthday celebration was during our late supper; but it was hardly adequate, though the homemade, banana-pudding ice cream was delicious. Hopefully he sees the moving and packing help as a good-enough birthday celebration. I'm sure we'll be back in Columbia in a few weeks to help him move into his apartment. So happy birthday to the best brother ever!

March 8, 2011

Twenty Months Old

Saturday Hamilton turned 20 months old, so an update is due. His newest, sweetest thing is singing. Sometimes he sings to himself; and when I sing to him, he waits until I stop then he begins with his sweet, soft voice. He doesn't use any words yet that I recognize, but he seems to know what he's singing.
We've also started Kindermusik which involves lots of music, singing, and movement. Hamilton has several friends also participating in our Kindermusik class, and I've enjoyed participating with him each week (though all the up and down is a workout for this pregnant mama). During today's class, Hamilton heard a train going by. He immediately ran to the window to see the train. I coaxed him back to the activity the group was doing, but he continued trying to slip back to the window to see the train. When he made it back to the window again, the train was gone. He turned back to me, threw his hands out by his side with his palms up, and said, "Choo-choo?"

Hamilton's back to reading books in a big way. He brings books to me several times a day no matter what I'm doing and says, "Buh, buh." He loves to sit in Mr. Morgan's recliner and read books with me or by himself. He also enjoys sitting in the glider in his room with his books. His favorites right now are Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Go, Dog, Go.
We're still saying prayers before bed, and Hamilton still interrupts with prayers of his own; however, sometimes he "prays" using words we recognize, like "Mimi and Pah." At the dinner table, he knows the blessing is coming after we pull his highchair up to the table, so he reaches out his hands to Mr. Morgan and me for the blessing without our prompting him.

Hamilton loves watching "choo-choo" on the television, but he doesn't ask for it yet. Hopefully he's not watching that much. He just gets excited if I ask him if he wants to watch Thomas the train.

His favorite activity before dinner is to wash his hands--because he gets to use the step stool. He says, "tool, tool," and happily helps me get the stool out to use at the kitchen sink. He also helps push up his sleeves before reaching for the water. His newest sign is "thank you," which he's using sometimes without being prompted. His newest word is "poo" which he says when he holds his diaper. Occasionally, he's right about having "poo" in his diaper.

Hamilton's steadily outgrowing his clothes, and his pant legs are getting shorter. He's the tallest of all his little friends. I'll measure his height soon, especially since the nurse didn't do it at his 18-months checkup.

Trike-A-Thon

Hamilton's school is hosting a Trike-A-Thon on March 24 to benefit the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Hamilton will be riding his scoot 'n' zoom for the event, and we'd love to have some sponsors. He's not riding for long, so it's just a one-time donation not a per-mile or per-minute donation. To donate, visit his personal page and click Donate Now. Thanks for your support!

March 6, 2011

Art Walk

Friday night was girls' night, so we girls left the kids at home and headed downtown for the French Quarter Art Walk. We sipped wine (well, not me), nibbled cheese and crackers, and walked from gallery to gallery looking at the art. By the time we got around to taking this picture with Tiffany's phone, we'd lost two in our group to the invitation-only, early-opening of the mom-to-mom sale.
After our miles of walking, we headed to a quiet dinner where we could catch up with Christie and talk without the interruption of little children. It was a great night! Mr. Morgan and Hamilton enjoyed a boys' night, eating leftovers for dinner and working on projects in the garage.

Together Again

My dear friend Christie and her son Arthur were in town to visit briefly last Friday. I hosted a luncheon at the house on Friday afternoon, so all of Christie's friends could visit with her. With the kids in the backyard, the July Boys were playing together again just like old times.
The sidewalk chalk was a big hit with all the boys, and each one was covered in the dust after just a few minutes.
We all kept saying, "They're so cute!" I think the cute, inquisitive one-year-old--times three--made them mesmerizing to watch as they interacted and explored.